Four Things I Learned This Week (October 20)

Du’s Grill westside has closed. After five years in business, Du’s Grill on the westside/Hillsboro closed, as of October 16. Their location, aka “Ol’ Faithful,” on NE Sandy Blvd is still going strong, so you can still get your Du’s teriyaki and salad fix on the east side. 1249 NW 185th Avenue, Hillsboro (closed) and 5365 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland (open)

Aviv rebrands as TAL. Aviv, which closed their brick & mortar in 2021, has been doing pop-ups in various places, serving its vegan Middle Eastern food to the masses. They announced this week that they are rebranding themselves as TAL. As for their next pop-up event, head to Labyrinth Forge Brewery this weekend in SE Portland, where they will serve “Shawarma fries, hummus, falafel, and a medley of other delectable treats” at the newish brewery location. 61 SE Yamhill Street, Portland

FYI Fusion Curry Pizza is open. In case you were wondering, Fusion Curry Pizza is open and has been for about a month. Lots of great reviews on Yelp; Portlanders seem to enjoy their food quite a bit. 4630 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

The start of Thanksgiving pre-orders. Thanksgiving may seems like a ways away, but in reality we only have about a month to go (Thanksgiving this year is on November 23). The first outlet offering Thanksgiving yums to land on my radar is Revel Meat Co., which will offer local turkeys, duck, rabbit, applewood-smoked ham, pork rib loin roast, and porchettas, “all sourced from Revel’s local ranching partners.” The turkeys are part of a “super-limited run” from Totum Farm (~16 to 20 pounds) and Champoeg Farm (two sizes). Orders start today and end on November 20. Email holidays@revelmeatco.com or visit the butcher counter to reserve your order with a $25 deposit.

Four Things I Learned This Week (October 6)

Yaowarat opens today. What was Lazy Susan in Montavilla is now Yaowarat, which we mentioned here back in July. It is brought to you by Akkapong Earl Ninsom and crew, makers of much deliciousness in Portland. The food is “Thai-Chinese street food both along Bangkok Chinatown (Yaowarat neighborhood) and the restaurants that we fell in love with from travel and grew up eating (during my college time),” according to Ninsom. Surprisingly, Montavilla does not have much in the way of Thai restaurants, so this is a pretty great addition to the neighborhood.

No takeout, no reservations, no phone—yet. They’ll be open Wednesdays to Sundays, 5pm to 10pm, at least to start. Check out the PDX Monthly article on them from earlier this month to get a better picture of the whole shebang. 7937 SE Stark Street, Portland

The Yanick Room is open. Over at Kann, they have put together a private dining room for large parties, 12 guests to 36 guests. The Yanick Room is named after Chef Gourdet’s mom. Access reservations through Resy. 548 SE Ash Street, Portland

What’s next for the Woodsman Tavern space(s). The Oregonian tells us what’s what with these two spaces: the restaurant and market. Los Burros Supremos, a burrito shop, will take over the market space; La Leñadora, “a full-service restaurant with lamb shank birria, sizzling Oregon albacore fajitas and lots of Mexican seafood.” Read more about the plans here. 4537 SE Division Street, Portland

Mattino’s Wines is closing their shop. We wrote about this sweet spot last October, and by the end of their run on October 29, they will have been open for around a year. On Instagram they explain why all is not lost: “We feel excited about our next chapter at 935 SE Hawthorne. We are taking it in a new direction — a wine delivery service, club, and space that hosts gatherings. There’s so much to share about these upcoming changes. Stay tuned.” Best of luck to them in this transition. 935 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

Goodbye, Frog & Snail

Photo credit: Frog & Snail

Last week I saw the news on Instagram: Frog & Snail, one of the best places for French-style crepes (including Breton-style buckwheat crepes) in Portland, closed abruptly. The reason behind that is that the owner, Chad Bernard, died on August 15 in what seems to be a sudden event. My heart goes out to his friends and family on his untimely passing.

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